The present invention relates to a carrying system used in a clean room etc.
In case of carrying articles in a clean room etc., a low-speed track guided vehicle which is equipped with a transfer equipment is often used in an intrabay transportation, and an interbay transportation is often conducted by a high-speed linear conveyor vehicle which is not equipped with a transfer equipment. A track guided vehicle, using the exclusive rail, is operated as a track guided vehicle system. And likewise, a linear conveyor vehicle, using the rail that an exclusive linear motor is built, is operated as a linear conveyor vehicle system. In case of carrying articles from one process to another by use of these systems, a total of 4-time transfers are needed, and a transfer from the track guided vehicle to a stocker as a buffer, from the stocker to the linear conveyor vehicle, from the linear conveyor system to the stocker as the buffer, and from the stocker to the track guide vehicle.
It is the fundamental object of the present invention to improve a transferring efficiency by integrating an interbay transportation system and an intrabay transportation system.
It is an additional object of the present invention to make the conveyance of rush articles etc. easier and to convey articles quickly.
It is a further additional object of the present invention to make a diverging control easier.
A carrying system of the present invention makes a conveyor vehicle for an interbay transportation travel along a long-distance loop, and makes a conveyor vehicle for an intrabay transportation travel by laying a plurality of short-distance traveling routes for the intrabay transportation around the long-distance loop. The carrying system features that the short-distance traveling route is connected to the long-distance loop with a converging/diverging part, and the long-distance loop and the short distance traveling route are composed such that at least one conveyor vehicle for either the interbay or the intrabay transportation is capable of traveling both the long distance loop and the short-distance traveling routes.
It is preferable that a conveyor vehicle for the interbay transportation does not carry transfer equipment, and a conveyor vehicle for the intrabay transportation carries transfer equipment. Also, at least one aforementioned conveyor vehicle for either the interbay or the intrabay transportation, is used as the conveyor vehicle for the intrabay transportation.
More preferably, the means of controlling a diverging direction of a conveyor at the converging/diverging part, is provided with the vehicle for both the interbay and the intrabay transportation.
According to the present invention, the conveyance systems for the interbay and the intrabay transportation are connected to be used as one system. Due to this, for example, articles are possible to be sent directly without transferring from the short-distance traveling route for the intrabay transportation to the next traveling line for the intrabay transportation by way of the long-distance loop for the interbay transportation.
According to the present invention, rush articles can be sent directly between processes by use of the conveyor vehicle for the intrabay transportation, or articles can be sent directly to the next process by way of the long-distance loop, in case that the traveling distance in the long-distance loop to the next process is short, and the like. As the conveyor vehicle for the intrabay transportation is equipped with the transfer equipment, articles can be sent directly and transferred from the intrabay processing equipment to the other intrabay processing equipment. Moreover, as a conveyor vehicle which is not equipped with the transfer equipment is provided for the interbay transportation, articles can be conveyed at high speed among small number of stations which is equipped with the transfer equipment in a vehicle for interbay transportation.
The present invention produces a plurality of converging/diverging parts. According to the present invention, as control devices in the diverging direction, which are provided in the conveyor vehicle for both the intrabay and the interbay transportation, diverge at these converging/diverging parts, the diverging control becomes easier.